Together with

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Baseline!

Before we dive into the blueprint for basketball culture, I just want to share an important note:

If you're in a position to help Los Angeles, here are some links on how to best help:

• LA Times: Volunteer Guide

• LAist: Helping Guide

• LAFD Donations

Having lived in LA for four years, witnessing the news and hearing about the tragic wildfire destruction has been devastating.

🙏 My thoughts are with all those impacted by this unimaginable situation.

MARKETING BLUEPRINT

The Detroit Pistons are on an epic marketing run right now.

Their marketing team has been winning since 2022 when they shifted their strategy to embrace hoops culture and local community insights.

The results?

A surge in attendance, increased ticket sales, growth in merchandise revenue, and the establishment of a brand-new global fanbase.

Their latest marketing initiative racked up millions of viral impressions, but what was truly impactful was the ability to unite their fans from over 10 different countries.

They included Pistons fans from Ghana, Australia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, Kenya, India, Canada, France and Brazil.

Here’s what they did:

On World Basketball Day, the Pistons gifted custom jerseys to fans across the world, embedding their country’s flag into the numbers.

This feel-good moment proved you don't need to speak the same language to genuinely connect with others.

Through social media, they created a viral moment that transcended borders and cultural differences.

Plus, they demonstrated how brands can build deeper, more meaningful connections with a small touch of personalization.

FREE THROWS

Sharing the tools and resources that I’m using this week:

🗓️ Planning 2025: Jesse Itzler, co-founder of Marquis Jet, one of the largest private jet card companies in the world, a partner in Zico Coconut Water, and one of the owners of the Atlanta Hawks, shared on the My First Million podcast how to plan an epic 2025.

🚫 TikTok Ban Guide For Brands: Creator and forever hooper, Jack Appleby, shared a comprehensive breakdown and guide for brands in case TikTok does get banned.

🖨️ Print Friendly: In the digital era, sometimes you just need the convenience of a simple PDF printout.

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FAST BREAK

Here’s what you missed this week in basketball culture:

💰 After teaching us the Streaming Era blueprint, LiAngelo Ball has signed a record deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group for $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed, including full ownership of his music and his own record label.

🏀 Unrivaled kicks off this week, and they shared photos of their production studio turned 3-on-3 women’s basketball arena in Miami, FL.

👟 Kyrie Irving, Chief Creative Officer at Anta, signed their newest NBA athletes—Caris LeVert of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derrick Jones Jr. of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks.

🎒 Jordan Brand unveiled a new sneaker duffle bag, but comments suggest that the design is too similar to existing sneaker duffle bags from small businesses like Private Label NYC, Sole Premise, and The Shrine.

⭐️ Cade Cunningham’s new signature logo appeared on a pair of Nike PEs he wore earlier this week, featuring two C’s that resemble a star, a nod to Cade’s home state of Texas and its moniker as the Lone Star State.

🫂 Feel-good hoops moment of the week: Stephen Curry made these kids' day even though he was sitting out for the game.

📊 Bradley Beal leads the league in the most time spent tying his shoes this season. SportsRadar keeps stats on literally everything these days.

🎽 Balenciaga just dropped a luxury basketball collection, featuring oversized jerseys and a $9,000 bomber jacket.

💸 The College Sports Company recently raised $5 million in new funding, with investors including Kevin Love, Tom Brady, and the co-founders of Bleacher Report and Morning Brew. The start-up operates athlete-driven media brands for universities and NIL collectives.

POST-GAME

If you made it all the way this far, I have a question for you:

See you next week,

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻

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